The 1992 Robin Williams film Toys may be largely forgettable, but it did offer a song worth remembering:  “The Closing of the Year” by former Prince band members Wendy & Lisa (and featuring a cameo by Seal).  While parts of the song are explicitly about Christmas, the title and many of the sentiments work for New Year’s Eve as well.

As a kid, we’d gather around the tube to usher in the new year with Dick Clark on Rockin’ New Years Eve. After Mr. Clark’s accident a few years back, he still makes the triumphant effort to open the show, but then turns over the reigns to Ryan Seacrest to go the distance.

2009-2010′s musical guests include:
Jennifer Lopez, The Black Eyed Peas, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Keri Hilson, Colbie Caillat, Robin Thicke and Orianthi

http://abc.go.com/shows/dick-clarks-new-years-rockin-eve-with-ryan-seacrest-2010

MTV launched a mini-site that showcases the best of Music, Shows, News and Movies from 2009. Happy New Year! Check it out!

http://www.mtv.com/specials/best_of/2009/

Deanna Adams does a great book review of “Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time.” by Rob Sheffield. Mix Tapes can now be lost in the shuffle of our digital music but it’s a true art form. As a side note, if you want to post your own mix check out art of the mix. Deanna reviews this touching book of how a dying woman uses mixtapes to stay alive.

http://deannaradams.blogspot.com/2009/12/whats-on-my-nightstand.html

I was pleasantly surprised to find that VH1 has a great selection of music on their internet radio stations.

Listen to VH1 Radio that plays big hitters like 3 Doors Down, Christina Aguilera, Keane and “You Oughta Know” artists. You can also listen to VH1 Soul that delivers the best in modern soul like Maxwell, John Legend and Mariah Carey. Pop Hits has all the hits all the time like the Black Eyed Peas, The Fray, Panic at John Mayer. Hip-Hop Hits plays Club Bangers and Street Anthems like 2Pac, Dr. Dre and Outkast. Finally You can listen the broadcast of VH1′s Hip-Hop Honors.

http://www.vh1.com/music/radio/

Instrumental music is a classification of music that has transcended the ages and grown and diversified within itself, yet its premise remains the same. It allows the listener more freedom in how the music is felt. With the “restriction” of words gone, each individual can personally illustrate in their mind and heart (one’s inner being) how the music will be interpreted. It may cause apprehension, common among soundtrack scoring, to draw the listener in.

How often do you listen to instrumental music? Is it part of your iTunes rotation?

VH1 is counting down the top 40 best videos of 2009. Below is a glimpse of the top 10 (spoiler alert). Lady Gaga continued to impact the music world ending up on the top forty list twice, while rockers Kings of Leon and Shinedown surprisingly rise to the top. What will 2010 hold for the video countdown? Will any of these artists be back again next year?

1. Love Game – Lady Gaga
2. Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
3. Single Ladies – Beyonce
4. Love Story – Taylor Swift
5. Her Diamonds – Rob Thomas
6. My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson
7. Second Chance – Shinedown
8. Sober – Pink
9. You Found Me – The Fray
10. Cirus – Britney

Catch all the videos here.

Merry Christmas! Here are my favorite 10 Christmas tunes! Do you have any to add to this list?

1. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
2. Linus and Lucy- Vince Guaraldi
3. Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Frank Sinatra
5. Last Christmas – Wham
6. Rudolf The Red nosed Reindeer – Temptations
7. 12 Days of Christmas – Straight No Chaser
8. Wizards In Winter (Instrumental) – Trans Serbian Orchestra
9. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
10. Do They Know It’s Christmas Time? – Band Aid

Bonus Tracks:
Jingle Bell Rock – Hall and Oates
The Christmas Song – Sheryl Crow

Last month Alicia Keys released her new album titled “The Element of Freedom”. If you’ve watched any award shows recently you’ve already got a sneak peak at some of the new tracks. Hopefully there will be a US tour to promote this album. Alicia also has a very unique web site.

If you were in the UK 26 years ago right now, it’s a good bet you’d be hearing this song–”Only You” by the Flying Pickets–on the radio.  The group’s first single was the Christmastime number 1 song that year.  Interesting, the band takes its name from a phrase for people who are mobile picketers who go from location to location in labor strikes, which corresponds with the leftist political perspectives of the group’s founders, yet Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative leader who was Prime Minister at the time of this song’s success, is reported to have declared it favorite record of the time.

The Flying Pickets, who are an a cappella group, have been through many personnel changes throughout the last three decades, but they’re still making music.  You can find out more about them on their website.